'Zootopia' animator from Barrington shaped four characters

As a kid growing up in Barrington, Nathan Engelhardt went crazy for cartoons.

He loved Looney Tunes, Warner Bros. cartoons and Disney animated features.

But he never thought about where they came from.

“It had never dawned on me that these movies are something that people actually do for a job,” he said. “It was just stuff that was born. It was created out of thin air. Pixies made these movies and delivered them to your door!”

As he grew older, Engelhardt realized that real living people created those beloved cartoons.

Then it happened.

“Animation just sort of blew up in my mind,” he said.

What an explosion.

Engelhardt helped bring to life Walt Disney's animated comedy “Zootopia,” which opens this weekend.

He served as the animation supervisor on four of the characters: Officer Clawhauser at the police desk, Finnick the fox, and the happily married Bonnie and Stu Hopps.

“Zootopia” marks the third Disney animated movie Engelhardt has worked on.

After graduating from Fremd High School in Palatine and from the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia, Engelhardt found employment at Blue Sky Studios, known for the “Ice Age” comedies, “Rio,” and last year's “The Peanuts Movie.”

“I didn't know what I was doing,” he said, “watching these pros create these beautiful scenes and characters. Even after I got my diploma and a piece of paper that says, 'This guy knows how to make animation!' I still had no idea what I was doing.

“And I still feel that way.”

When Engelhardt applied for a position at Disney, he held out little hope for a job.

Then ...

“Just hearing back from them that they might be interested is pretty incredible,” he said. “Disney has such a legacy. To be a part of that is simply humbling. I feel really lucky. Really blessed by God for this. I give a lot of credit to God. I think he has orchestrated this life and he has given me doors that have opened for me.”

His first Disney movie was 2012's “Wreck-It Ralph.” Then, Engelhardt became the animation supervisor for the main character, Hiro, in the Oscar-winning “Big Hero 6.”

“After every film, you learn a little more,” he said. “Someone slips you a secret. It was just timing, luck and people willing to take a chance on you.”

Now, Engelhardt, 31, is in postproduction on his latest project, a baby born weeks ago. He's on paternity leave at home in Los Angeles.

“I'm just a mess!” he said. “I have no structure right now. The days just blend together. The only structure I have is centered around what my 2-year-old son wants to do to alleviate some responsibilities to Mom so she can tend to the newborn.”

“Mom” would be Julie Engelhardt, who grew up in Roselle. The two have known each other since they were 6.

Both attended the same church for years. They will celebrate their fourth anniversary in June. Their firstborn celebrated his birthday last week.

Naturally, Engelhardt took his family to Disneyland.

The animator loved cartoons as a kid, but a video game called “The Neverhood” spurred his awareness of animation as art and commerce.

“It was a point-and-click action adventure game,” he said. “It was like stop motion animation with puzzles you would solve. I was enthralled.”

His mom, Lisa, knew of her son's passion for drawing. So she took him to see a lot of art, including sculptures.

“I really owe a lot of my foundation to my mom,” Engelhardt said. “But it was that game, 'The Neverhood,' that really opened my eyes to what animation could be.”

His eyes were so open that he broke his dad's video camera by pushing the start/stop button as fast as he could to create his own animation.

“Dad” would be Dean Engelhardt, who works at a gear manufacturing company. The animator's parents still live in Barrington.

So, what's the real appeal of animation for Engelhardt?

“You can say something with art,” he said. “Art has this incredible power behind it. Even in 'Zootopia,' you can see important, relevant messages for today.

“It has the ability to teach. It has the ability to encourage. It has the ability to persuade or influence. The greatest joy for me is when you create something ­- anything - it reaffirms a reason for living.

“It's pretty cool and magical.”

­ - Dann Gire

If you know someone who'd make a good feature story, contact us at jsotonoff@dailyherald.com and dgire@dailyherald.com.

Being the 'character lead'

Nathan Engelhardt on being an animator:

“There are so many factors in just getting one character ready so other animators can use it. You need to create a seamless character so that even though it's actually made by 90 animators, it looks like one animator did it.”

“As a character lead, it's my job to carry out the director's vision of who they think the character is. You establish the character's quirks and personality from the director's original vision. You create this blueprint that other animators will build on.”